Combined ventilating and observing tube for submarine boats.



No. 726,947. PATBNTED MAY 5, 1903.

s. LAKE. t COMBINED VENTILATING AND OBSERVING TUBE FOR SUBMARINE BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30, 19.02.

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UNITED- STATES- Patented May 5, 1903.

COMBINED VENTlLATlNG AND OBSERVING TUBE FOR SUBMARINE BOATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 726,947, dated May 5, 1903.

Application filed December 30, 1902- Serial No. 137,154. (No model.)

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIMON LAKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Ventilating and Observing Tube for Submarine Boats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its primary object to adapt a submarine boat provided with pro pellin g devices,includin g an explosive-engine, to receive its air-supplyand to discharge its spent gases while traveling with its body wholly submergedla little below the surface of the water, so as to expose nothing to the view of occupants of surface vessels in its vi cinityv excepting a small combined air-inlet and observing tubethrough which the occupants of the submerged boat may receive the necessary air-supply for maintaining normal internal atmospheric conditions, and providing the necessary air for use in operating the engine, and also for taking observations of hostile vessels and other objects above the surface.

A further object of the invention is to provide an effective means of maintaining a free communication between the interior of the boat and the exterior of the same above the surface and a device whereby water may be excluded when the air-tube is temporarily submerged by a wave or byother means.

To this end the invention consists, primarily, in a combined ventilating and observing tube passing through the wall of the boat and having its endportions normally in communication, respectively, with the interior and exterior of said boat and provided also in its upper or outer end portion with a reflector or reflecting-surface adapted to receive and reflect downwardly or inwardly through said tube into the boat an image of an external object, whereby said observing tube may serve to establish communication between the interior and exterior of the boat for ventilating purposes in addition to its normal function of affording a view-point for thejoccupants above the surface while the body of the vessel is'concealed from the view of those upon surface vessels or elsewhere in the vicinity.

The invention also includes certain special features of construction, which will be fully described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims annexed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a submerged submarine torpedo-boat provided with my present improvements, showing the top of the combined ventilating and observing tube projecting slightly above and the top of the exhaust-tube extending above the hull to a point a little below the surface of the water. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the combined ventilating and observing tube and the means for raising and lowerin g the same. Fig. 3 is a'transverse section of said tube, showing the float and lever for operating its upper check-valve. transverse section of the inlet-tubethrough its lateral inlet-recess.

The hull A is shown surmounted by a conning-tower B, occupied by the steersman and lookout, and is provided with propelling devices comprising screws O, driven by means of a suitable motor, as the gasolene-engine D, (indicated in dotted lines only in Fig. 1,) having its exhaust-pipe E connected with the lower portion of a standing discharge-pipe F, telescopically arranged aft of the conningtower-and passing through the upper wall of the same, the air-supply for the engine being drawn in through the ventilating and observing tube G, slidably and revolub ly embraced by a stuffing-box H (shown only in dotted lines in Fig. 2) in the upper wall of the conhing-tower B.

The tubeG is shown with its upper or outer end portion formed as a hood cream a, surrounding its valved inlet-aperture, the same having a lateral recess b open to the exterior at the rear side thereof and connected upon its upper side with a duct or port '0, having its lower end normally open to the interior of the tube through said inletaperture, which is provided with a normally open check-valve d, fitted to a seat 6 and having its stem f sus tained in a suitable guiding frame or spider g and preferably surrounded by a spiral spring h for counterbalancing its weight and holding it yieldingly in open position;

The object of the so-called hood or cap a, inclosing the upper side of the inlet-aperture at the top of the tube G, is to provide an overhanging lip or guard external to said Fig. 4 is a IOC inlet-aperture and extending rearwardly in relation thereto, so that the submersion of the top of the tube by a wave or by other means in conjunction with its movement through the water will produce an eddy rearward of such hood in which will be formed an airspace beneath the surface around the mouth of the recess 17, as will be readily understood, which will prevent any inflow of water through iaid aperture at slight depths below the surace.

As a safeguard toinsure the prompt closing of the valve (1 when the upper end portion of the tube becomes submerged from any cause a transverse spindle 't' is disposed adjacent to the inner end of said valve-stem and provided with a rigid arm j, pivotally connected with said valve-stem, a pair of external arms 75 being applied to the outer ends of said spindle and carrying a crescent-shaped float Z, which is caused to. rise when the end of the tube G becomes submerged so as to mechanically close the valve d, but drops when the tube emerges from the water in order to promptly return the valve to its normally open position.

The inner or lower end portion of the tube G is provided with a passage m, controlled by a normally raised spring-pressed check-valve n, similar to the valve d, for normally affording free communication between the interior of the boat and the tube G, holes 0 being formed in the bottom of the tube for the purpose. The lower check-valve is employed for automatically closing the tube from the interior of the boat in case of emergency, such as the piercing ofthe upper portion of the tube by a shot from an enemys guns.

The tube G is shown provided in its upper end with a lateral opening in the side opposite the recess b, at which is disposed a reflecting glass prism 19, adapted to receive and reflect downwardly or inwardly through the tube an image of an external object, as a surface vessel in the vicinity of the submarine boat, such image being preferably received and reflected transversely of the tube through a lateral aperture in the lower end portion of said tube by means of a second reflectingprism q, as more fully described in my pending application, Serial No. 135,055. It is evident, however, that the number, character, and specific arrangement of the prisms or reflectors or other reflecting-surfaces with which the tube is provided are not essential to the present invention, which relates more particularly to the association of devices whereby the single tube G is adapted to serve the double function of providing a view-point above the surface of the water for the occupants of a submerged vessel and of affording a means of air-supply for the occupants and for the apparatus employed in the operation of said boat.

The mechanism for raising and lowering the tube G fordeterminingits elevation above the top of theconning-tower is or may be constructed and operated similarly to that shown and described in my said pending ap plication relating to the observing-tube and is herein represented as comprising a jackscrew 13 carrying a hand-wheel s, swiveled to the closed lower end of the tube G and working in a nut t in the upper end of the stand it.

Having thus set forth the invention, what I claim herein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a submarine boat, of a combined ventilating and observing tube passing through the wall of said boat and having its end portions normally in communication, respectively, with the interior and exterior of said boat and provided also in its upper or outer end portion with a reflector or reflecting-surface adapted to receive and reflect downwardly or inwardly through said tube into the boat an image of an external object.

2. The combination with a submarine boat, of a combined ventilating and observing tube passing through the wall of said boat and being provided in its upper or outer end with a valved passage communicating with the exterior of said boat and provided also with a reflector or reflecting-surface adapted to receive and reflect downwardly or inwardly through said tube into said boat an image of an external object, said tube having its inner or lower end normally in communication with the interior of said boat.

3. The combination with a submarine boat,

of a combined ventilating and observing tube passing through the wall of said boat and being provided in its upper or outer end with a passage normally communicatiu g with the exterior of said boat having a normally open checlrvalve for automatically closing said passage from entrance of water into said tube, and provided also with a reflector or reflecting-surface adapted to receive and reflect downwardly or inwardly through said tube into the boat an image of an external object, said tube having its inner or lower end normally in communication with the interior of the boat. 4. The combination with a submarine boat, of a combined ventilating and observing tube passing through the wall of said boat and being provided in its upper or outer end with a passage normally communicating with the exterior of said boat having a normally open check-valve for automatically closing said passage from entrance of water into said tube, and provided also with a reflector or reflecting-surface adapted to receive and reflect downwardly through said tube into the boat an image of an external object, said tube having in its inner or lower end a valved passage normally in communication with the interior of the boat.

5. The combination with a submarine boat, of a combined ventilating and observing tube provided in its upper or outer end with a passage normally communicating with the exterior of said boat having a normally open check-valve for automatically closing said passage from entrance of water into said tube, and provided also with a reflector or reflecting-surface adapted to receive and reflect downwardly or inwardly through said tube into the boat an image of an external object, said tube having in its inner or lower end a passage provided with a normally open checkvalve normally in communication with the interior of the boat.

6. The combination with a submarine boat, of a combined ventilating and observing tube provided in its upper or outer end portion with a duct or port with overhanging external lip or guard and having its inner or lower end normally in communication with the interior of the boat, said tube being provided also with suitable reflectors or reflecting-sur-.

faces for receiving and refiectin g downwardly or inwardly through said tube an image of an external object.

'7. The combination with a submarine boat, of a combined ventilating and observing tube provided in its upper or outer end portion with a lateral recess and having a duct or port in communication with the upper side of said lateral recess and constructed with its inner end portion normally in communication with the interior of the boat, said tube being provided also with suitable reflectors or reflecting-surfaces for receiving and reflectits upper or outer end with an externallyopen lateral recess and having avalved duct or port in communication with the upper side of said lateral recess.

9. The combination with a submarine boat, of a ventilating-tube constructed with its inner or lower end portion in communication with the interior of the boat and provided at its upper or outer end with an externallyopen' lateral recess and having a duct or port in communication with the upper side of said lateral recess, said duct or port being provided with a normally open check-valve and means, including a pivoted lever and a float external to said tube, for closing said valve automatically.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 27th day of December, 1902.

SIMON LAKE.

Witnesses:

JAMES W. GAULT, L. B. MILLER. 

